let the good times roll

i actually stayed up past 11pm last night.... i know you are in shock and don't believe me, but it is true. i actually crawled into bed at midnight still quite chatty. last night we had dinner with all the brooklyn pastoral staff.......plus a few kids thrown into the mix (except the galt twins who got a babysitter). we had so much fun... part of the fun was exposing jamison's hidden talent for high school show choirs. he was such a good sport letting us laugh at his most enjoyable high school moments. perhaps, i should bust out the dance routines from my heyday just to make him feel better..... naw. we had great conversation about the challenges of raising kids in this culture and the challenge to balance that with biblical standards & character, the difference between vocation and calling (if there is one), and what it means to encourage and challenge our children to pursue excellence in their lives in obedience to god. all of this with no conclusions or resolution but what a treat to be able to discuss amongst trusted friends the challenges of raising children to love the lord and glorify him with their lives. the real challenge is realizing that little of it has anything to do with what we say but how we (as parents) live out our lives before them, how we serve our spouses, how we delight in our vocation/calling, and how we seek to glorify god in all of that. all over good wine and pizza!!! what a treat share my life with others..... you have good nights and bad nights. it is a refreshing crowd to not have to be at my best or try to impress but can be uncomfortably pregnant with swollen feet and hungry every five minutes. it always ends to soon and doesn't come around often enough that we can gather again.